1 Making New Friends, And Enemies: Lots of Enemies
by Daintress
Summary: AU since HBP. Complete. She sat perfectly still, a slight smile on her face. The hat was mumbling at her, but she hardly listened. She was a Slytherin, born and bred. So why did the hat just shout, RAVENCLAW!
1. Chapter 1 The Train

Chapter 1 ~ The Train  
  
"Ouch! Severus!" Muriel pushed her best friend hard. "You dropped it on my foot!" She took out her wand and pointed it at her trunk, levitating it into the compartment over their heads, wondering why he hadn't just done that in the first place. It was only a moment before she had her answer. Severus was blushing furiously.  
  
"It would have been a lot more impressive if you'd just majicked it up there," she said in a maddeningly superior tone of voice. She heard him grumble. He hated it when she knew what he was thinking, which was all the time. His best friend had a rare gift that gave her the ability to hear the thoughts and emotions of those around her. At least, that's how her father explained it. Severus had long wondered if it was just him that she could read so well.  
  
The compartment door flew open as the train started to move. "Is there room in here?" They looked up into the smiling face of James Potter, his hair wild around his head. For once, Muriel deferred to Severus' judgment and didn't answer.  
  
Severus looked hard at the boy. "Potter, right?" Then, when the boy nodded, he said, "Yeah, okay, come on in." Muriel smiled. She knew that Severus' father had given him instructions as to who he could make friends with. Potter was on the list, being pure-blooded, as was the boy who followed him into the cabin.  
  
"YOU!" Muriel hissed, standing abruptly. She wheeled on Potter. "Sev said you could stay, so you can, but this arrogant prat is NOT sharing our compartment." She pointed her wand at the quickly reddening face of Sirius Black. "I ought to turn you into a pumpkin right now!"  
  
Sirius' eyes widened. She knew! He bolted back out the door, and managed three good bounds before someone had him around the ankles and he fell hard to the floor. "Oof!" Severus stuck his head out the compartment door to watch as Potter went to help Sirius. Muriel was already standing over him.  
  
"Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to have Lucius Malfoy perform a counter-charm for you when you can't even talk?"  
  
Sirius rolled over fast. "It was an accident," he gasped. "I was trying to hit him, not you!"  
  
"Was it also an accident that you left without telling anyone else the counter-curse?" For an eleven year old, Muriel Deesia was a frightening person. He groaned, but didn't get a chance to explain that when his mother said it was time to go, he didn't have a choice.  
  
"You're lucky I didn't tell my father who'd done it, or your mum would've had you in irons all last year!" Sirius looked at her with wide eyes.  
  
"You didn't tell?" he whispered. She lowered her wand. Potter, who'd been standing behind her, went to help Sirius up.  
  
"No. I thought it would be more fun to pay you back myself. Watch your back this year, Black," she said quietly. She tucked her wand back into a pocket of her robes and walked back toward Severus, who was smirking in the cabin doorway. She winked at him.  
  
"Her back is already covered, Black," Severus said harshly. Muriel turned to see that Sirius had finally gotten his wand out. Then she laughed and went into the compartment. Severus closed the door behind them.  
  
"What was that all about?" James asked.  
  
Sirius shrugged. "Long story." He'd only just met James on the platform, and wasn't sure if the other boy liked pranks as much as he did. The Potters didn't hang out with the same crowd as the Snapes, Blacks and Deesias. They headed down the aisle, looking for another compartment.  
  
Muriel was still giggling quietly to herself as Severus sat down. "I can't believe it was Black. Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked sullenly. It wasn't like her to keep anything from him.  
  
"I didn't know. It wasn't until he saw me that he thought about it and I heard him."  
  
"Well, at least I know it isn't just my thoughts that you're stealing." Severus laughed. He hadn't been there for the Malfoy Halloween party last year, but Muriel had come home fuming because someone had turned her head into a pumpkin and run away. Lucius had fixed it for her so she didn't have to go back inside and show the adults. He understood how aggravating it was to be indebted to Lucius Malfoy for anything. The boy was insufferable. It didn't help that he was three years older than they were.  
  
"Malfoy told me that we'd have to wrestle a mountain troll and win without magic to get into Slytherin," Muriel said quietly. "Do you think that's true?"  
  
"Mother said something about a filthy old hat. She made me promise to wash my hair after the Sorting ceremony so I wouldn't get lice." Severus grimaced, then added, "I don't think that soft old fool, Dumbledore, would invite a troll into the school."  
  
"Show me your list," Muriel said suddenly, holding out a hand. Severus produced it, scowling.  
  
Avery Black Crabbe Deesia Goyle Lupin Malfoy Macnair Pettigrew Potter  
  
"Good thing I'm on there, wouldn't you be in trouble!" Muriel frowned. "All these others are boys, though. I guess I'll just have to figure out who's safe on my own. Surely everyone in our house will be pure blooded anyway. I know if I were a mudblood, I wouldn't feel too safe sleeping in the Slytherin dormitories." They laughed again. Muriel wasn't too worried. Her mother had made sure that she was at all the important parties within her parents' circle of friends. She knew anyone who was worth knowing already.  
  
They passed the train ride in silence. Muriel slept on one bench while Severus sat on the other, looking over his list. He knew why his father had listed only one girl. 


	2. Chapter 2 The Sorting

Chapter 2 ~ The Sorting  
  
They sat in the same boat on the way to the castle. It was dark, but at least it wasn't raining. Severus watched Muriel shake hands with the boy behind him.  
  
"Lupin, Remus Lupin," the boy said nervously.  
  
"Muriel Deesia, but you can call me Mur," she answered, remembering his name from Severus' list.  
  
Sev turned as well. "Snape," he said formally, offering his hand as well. He thought the boy looked awfully nervous and turned back around, feeling superior. Maybe he thought we'd have to wrestle a mountain troll as well. Severus ignored the boy until he caught an odd look from Muriel, who had turned back to the boy and had a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"It'll be alright," she whispered to the shaking blond, who was biting his lip. She kept her voice low, so Severus wouldn't hear her. The boy pulled his eyes away from the approaching castle to fix her with an unnerving stare.  
  
"Hope you're right," he answered finally, forcing a grin onto his face.  
  
Severus couldn't wipe the scowl from his face until they were standing in the Great Hall in front of the Sorting hat.  
  
Muriel was among the first to wear the hat. She sat perfectly still, a slight smile on her face. The hat was mumbling at her, but she hardly listened. She was a Slytherin, born and bred. So why did the hat just shout, "RAVENCLAW!"  
  
The cold witch beside her lifted the hat off her head, but Muriel didn't move from the stool. She sat briefly, her eyes finding Severus' in the crowd of her classmates. He looked horrified. She looked up at the hat, but decided not to make a scene. She would come back up to the head table and speak to the Headmaster when the food arrived. She slid off the stool precariously, her feet hitting the ground with a light tap.  
  
By this time the Ravenclaw table had stopped applauding and were looking at her strangely. She went to sit with them, as far from the older students as she could get, not meeting Severus' eyes on the way.  
  
She stared down at her plate until Sev's name was called, then looked up. Maybe he would be in Ravenclaw with her. They had so much in common, surely they would be in the same house? But no. The hat had barely touched his head when it hollered, "SLYTHERIN!"  
  
She felt the tears burning her eyes. This could not be happening. When the food arrived, and the Headmaster sat back down, she got up from the Ravenclaw table.  
  
"Professor, do you have a moment to speak with me?" She was acutely aware of the rest of the students, all of whom were concentrating on her. She felt Severus' presence by her side before the old man answered. She supposed it wasn't usual for a first year student to address the Headmaster after the ceremony.  
  
"Of course, Miss Deesia, Mr. Snape. Come to my office after the feast. The password is fizzing whizbees." The students nodded and exchanged a glance before heading back to their tables. Muriel felt better, and this time sat closer to her house mates. She wouldn't have to stay here too long.  
  
"Hi! I'm Marisa Ahles." A gangly, thin girl was holding out her hand. Muriel shook it. "Deesia," she replied, a little coldly. She'd never heard the last name, and was sure the girl must be a mudblood. Still, it wouldn't do to be rude, no matter who the girl's parents were. You never knew who you might have to rely on later in life, so it was best to be nice to everyone. Or at least everyone who'd never turned your head into a pumpkin.  
  
She shot a look toward the Slytherin table, thinking that at least if Sev was in the same house with Black that he could help her get back at him. But the scrawny, stuck-up boy wasn't there. Severus was sitting with a crowd of boys she recognized pretty well, Crabbe, Goyle, Macnair, and Avery. She shuddered. She REALLY didn't like Avery. She noticed Severus wasn't speaking to him, and wondered if he'd found out about last year's Christmas party, when Avery had tried a vanishing charm on her velvet skirt. It hadn't worked, but she'd still slapped him hard enough to turn his face red for a few hours. She hadn't told Severus. That was the sort of thing that would cause him to get himself in trouble.  
  
She looked around at the other tables and was surprised to see Potter and Black at the Gryffindor table. It figured. They would be very well protected in that house. 'Still,' she thought, smiling wickedly to herself. 'Sev and I should be able to get passed that great bunch of prats any day.'  
  
She listened half-heartedly to the chattering girls at her table, ignoring the boys entirely. One look at them told her that there wasn't a soul among them from her parent's group of friends. Soon enough the feast was over and she got up to go find Severus. In spite of herself, she didn't want to go to Dumbledore's office alone.  
  
"HISST!" Someone whispered as she passed. "It's the blood traitor." Muriel whipped around to face the older boy, her face flushed, and her hand already on her wand. Her father and Mr. Snape had enchanted the woods behind their houses to be safe from the Ministry of Magic's detection charms, so she was very experienced in dueling. She wasn't afraid of the 4th year boy who was standing to face her.  
  
"Minchew, I hope you weren't referring to me. At least MY favorite uncle isn't a squib." Her voice was hard, and the boy turned quickly around and sat down again, his face red. But he'd backed down a moment too late. Severus had already heard the comment, and as Muriel turned back to her friend, she saw him cast a hex in Minchew's direction.  
  
The table erupted in laughter as Minchew's nose grew two extra inches and turned orange. Severus got up from the table, catching his foot for a moment on the bench. Mur quickly took his arm to hide his stumble, and he winked his thanks.  
  
No one said a word as they left the hall and headed away from the dormitories toward the Headmaster's office, though Muriel was sure that they were talking about her again as soon as her back was turned.  
  
By the time they stepped onto the stone stairway, Muriel was irate. "How could he SAY that? Just this summer he was offering to tutor me in Divination!" she fumed.  
  
"He what?" Severus asked. Muriel didn't answer, choosing instead to walk quickly up the remaining stairs.  
  
"Professor, I simply can't be in Ravenclaw," Muriel said quickly as she approached the desk. Her mother had always told her that if she wanted the upper hand in an argument, the best way to get it was to get the first and last word. And she intended to do just that.  
  
The old man looked at her with an amused expression that he didn't even try to hide. He took off his glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and put them back on again. "And why is that, Miss Deesia?"  
  
Muriel was suddenly uncomfortable. Like her father, this man knew Occlumency. She didn't know what he was thinking at all.  
  
"Severus is my best friend, and we should be in the same house. And.." she stopped abruptly, then lowered her voice. "And my mother will be furious." The thought had just come to her. She realized with surprise that Severus had been thinking it all this time.  
  
When her mother found out she hadn't made Slytherin there was going to be hell to pay. She watched Dumbledore remove his glasses again and set them down on the desk. "Would you like to wear the Sorting hat again?" he asked kindly.  
  
Muriel was startled. She hadn't expected it to be so easy. But then Mr. Snape had always said the man was a bit soft. "Yes, I am sure it will get it right this time." She said confidently.  
  
Professor Dumbledore reached up to the top of a book case and took down the dusty old hat. Muriel grimaced. 'It really is filthy,' she thought as Dumbledore placed the hat on her head.  
  
"You would be too, if you were a thousand years old and no one cleaned you," a voice said in her ear. She started. "Now, what are you doing wearing me again tonight, I already told you, you are a.."  
  
"But I don't BELONG in Ravenclaw," she said shrilly, cutting the voice off. "I am a Slytherin, and I demand you place me in the correct house." She knew she sounded prissy, but this was definitely NOT how she'd expected to spend her first night at school.  
  
"You are witty and cunning, but hardly self-serving enough to be in Slytherin," the voice said knowingly. "Certainly you have the intelligence for Ravenclaw, but I see a bit of courage as well. Perhaps you would prefer Gryffindor?" The voice whispered sinisterly.  
  
"WHAT? NO! Even Ravenclaw is better than THAT!" she exclaimed. Severus looked worriedly at the Headmaster. What was the hat telling her?  
  
"Well, if you won't put me in Slytherin, then Sort Severus again, so we can be in the same house." But Severus was shaking his head.  
  
"Do you know what my father would do to me?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Ah, well, my dear, I'm afraid you'll have to stick with RAVENCLAW!" The hat hollered the house name again, and for the second time that night, Muriel sat like stone, hardly able to believe it. She thought for a moment that she might just burst into tears, but the Headmaster caught her eye.  
  
She saw a flicker of pity in his gaze, and an angry lump appeared in her throat. She whipped the hat off her head and held it out to Professor Dumbledore, who took it gingerly. She was furious, but she calmed herself enough to say, "Thank you for your time. I'll be going now."  
  
Without a backwards glance, she bound down the moving staircase, immediately lost. She hadn't followed the Ravenclaw prefect back to the tower, and she didn't know where it was. Severus had gotten directions back to his own common room during dinner, but he wasn't about to leave her wandering the corridors alone. He walked fast to keep up with her, but tried to stay far enough behind that he wouldn't see her crying. He knew she hated to be seen crying.  
  
"Deesia?" A Ravenclaw prefect found them on entirely the wrong side of the castle. Apparently half her house had been out looking for her, realizing that she wouldn't know where to go. Muriel cast one last miserable glance at Severus before following the older girl upstairs.  
  
She unpacked her trunk slowly, the other girls were already in bed, and she tried not to make any noise. When she thought she was ready for classes the next day, she pulled the bed curtains closed and wrapped her arms around her knees.  
  
In the next bed over, Marisa heard her crying softly, but decided to leave the proud girl alone. People that stuck-up didn't want comfort. Besides, her mother had warned her about Slytherins, and anyone who wanted to be a Slytherin probably wouldn't make a very good friend.  
  
Muriel could hear the thoughts of the girl in the next bed as clearly as if she'd spoken them. Her tears stopped instantly, to be replaced by anger. She didn't want the girl's pity and she certainly didn't want her friendship. 


	3. Chapter 3 And So It Begins

Chapter 3 ~ And So It Begins  
  
She was the first person in her house to arrive at breakfast the next morning, but wasn't surprised to find Severus waiting for her in the corridor outside the Great Hall. "Mur, you've got to write to your mother," he said stiffly as he walked with her to her table. "She'll come and work the whole thing out."  
  
"Are you nuts? I'll probably get a howler this morning as it is!"  
  
"Then write Papa," he said quickly. He'd called Mur's dad Papa since they were infants. He remembered hearing one of his aunts say that he'd said that before he'd said 'Dada,' which wasn't surprising, considering how often his father was home.  
  
Muriel held up an envelope. "I have, but I didn't ask him to change my house. You know he never would. I don't think he approves of most of Mother's friends as it is. He'll probably be thrilled that I'm not in Slytherin. I just wrote to ask him to break it to her for me."  
  
Severus sat down beside her when they reached the end of the table, earning himself several glares from the Slytherin table. He ignored them. "So you're giving up?" He knew that would make her angry, but he really wanted her to try something else, anything else!  
  
"NO! I'm not giving up. I'll just be a Slytherin living in the Ravenclaw dormitory, that's all."  
  
"They won't accept you. It isn't like you can just come into our common room and study with me, the older kids would hex you every time. You heard Minchew. He's not the only one. I had to cast a silencing charm on Goyle last night too."  
  
"Then we'll study in the library."  
  
Severus sighed. Most of Muriel's house mates had arrived, and he didn't feel comfortable sitting there anymore, so he stood. She'd made up her mind. "Alright, Mur. I'll meet you there after classes today."  
  
She nodded silently as the morning's mail arrived. When she got her class schedule, handed to her by a very cold Marisa, she was glad to see that she had Potions with the Slytherins. She'd never had much interest in Potions, but knew that Severus had dabbled in it. Maybe they could choose their own seats.  
  
After potions was Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, and then Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors.  
  
By Halloween, life at Hogwarts seemed second nature to Muriel. She and Severus studied in the library every other night until it closed. Sev said he had to be in his common room sometimes, for appearance sake, but Mur felt no such need. She studied in the library every night, preferring it to the bunch of fools she called house mates, not that plenty of them didn't show up in the library anyway.  
  
The Slytherins, taught by Severus' wand, had learned to stop hurling insults at her when she passed, and she came and went from his table during meals in peace. That's why she was surprised, on her way to the first Quiddich match of the year, to hear a sneering voice behind her say, "Don't touch the blood traitor, Avery, you might be contaminated."  
  
She spun around with her wand pointed at the speaker so quickly that he managed to poke himself in the eye with it. It was Crabbe. He was half a head taller than her, but she didn't flinch as he grabbed her arm to keep himself from falling.  
  
"Do you want to say that again, Crabbe?" she asked, her voice dangerous and low. The larger boy stuttered as Severus came running from the castle.  
  
"He didn't mean you, Mur," Avery said. Muriel didn't let her eyes leave Crabbe, who knew better than to reach for his wand. Several other Slytherin boys had arrived by this time, but none of them said anything. Even some of the older students were less experienced duelers than Muriel was, as Severus had made clear to them in the last month.  
  
"I don't recall giving you permission to use my nickname, Avery. Perhaps if you could perform a vanishing charm correctly you and I would be that close by now, but since you can't I suggest you call me Deesia." No one understood except Avery, who turned abruptly and left, his face glowing red.  
  
She still hadn't lowered her wand when she heard a voice behind her. "He meant me, Deesia." She turned quickly. Crabbe, who was notoriously dull witted, knew enough to get out his wand as Sirius Black walked back to them from the pitch. Muriel was glad to hear Severus thinking fast behind her as well. For once, she was sure that the house she belonged in was on her side.  
  
"Well, it is uncommon that a Black would end up in a house full of mudbloods," she said carelessly. Several of the boys behind her sniggered wickedly.  
  
"Wasn't your mother a Karkaroff?" Black asked, smirking. He'd heard the term mudblood all his life, and wasn't surprised to hear her use it now. "I imagine your dear old mother's losing as much sleep as mine. We're in the same boat now, Deesia. You ought to lighten up."  
  
He looked at the line of Slytherins that had formed behind her, and knew he was in a tight situation. Muriel couldn't feel any fear in him, and she was impressed. The boy was going to be a force to be reckoned with. That would make getting back at him for the pumpkin head curse that much more fun.  
  
At this moment, Remus Lupin came running back toward them from the pitch. He stood slightly in front of Sirius.  
  
"Get out of the way, Lupin," Muriel said quietly. "He deserves this." Remus shook his head.  
  
Mur felt Severus step forward, but lowered her wand and put a hand on his arm. Then she smiled sweetly. She knew that there were a lot of hexes that weren't going to work on someone like Lupin, and if she let the Slytherins hex him, someone was sure to notice. She would keep his secret.  
  
"You're lucky Lupin came to save you and not Potter." She felt the people behind her step back. Some of them were wondering if there was something special about Lupin that made him more dangerous than Black or Potter. Others, including Severus, were wondering why she liked the sickly looking blond so well.  
  
"And why is that?" Black asked haughtily.  
  
"Because if it had been Potter, you'd both be on the ground by now." She smirked at the strange expression on Lupin's face.  
  
"Is there a problem here?" It was Professor Warrington, the Potions master and head of Ravenclaw house. He looked rather concerned to see one of his students in the midst of so many Slytherins. Ravenclaws weren't known for their ability to defend themselves. He walked right passed Sirius and Remus, hardly realizing that they were involved.  
  
"No, Professor. We're just headed to the game," Mur said. She nodded to Severus, and they walked passed the bemused Professor together. He was even more confused later, to find her sitting in the Slytherin section, cheering someone else's house team. 


	4. Chapter 4 Christmas

Chapter 4 ~ Christmas  
  
The Christmas holiday rolled around more quickly than Muriel could have imagined. Severus went home, but she was staying. Her mother had been hit by an experimental spell, and her father had decided it was best for Muriel not to see the results.  
  
Only a few of her house mates were staying, so Muriel was glad to be able to use the common room without much interruption. It beat lugging all her books downstairs. But shortly before lunch, Kyle, a second year boy, came downstairs and began playing exploding snap by the fire. Kyle's father was a pureblood, but his mother was a muggle. But more important than that, the boy was just extremely inconsiderate.  
  
She packed up her books and headed to the library after all. It was deserted. She sat down gratefully and pulled out the beginnings of her History of Magic essay. She'd nearly finished when someone cleared his throat in front of her. "Lupin?" She had hardly spoken to him since just after Halloween.  
  
"Mind if I join you?"  
  
"Be my guest," she said, gesturing to the chair on the other side of her stack of books. She could hear his mind ticking off questions. He wanted to know what she knew, but he wasn't bold enough to come out and ask. She laughed to herself. Well, she could play dumb with the best of them. She had Crabbe to emulate.  
  
"So," he said when she'd marked her page in the book and set it aside. "What did Sirius do to deserve the wrath of the entire Slytherin house?" She was impressed how collected he was now that the Sorting was over. Perhaps he'd been afraid that as a dark creature, he'd get shunted into Slytherin whether he belonged there or not. She longed to ask him, but didn't want to give away what she knew.  
  
"Last year at the Malfoy family Halloween party he turned my head into a pumpkin and left with his parents before he fixed it." Muriel looked at him shrewdly. "Why didn't you just ask him?"  
  
Remus was suddenly very uncomfortable. "We aren't getting along too well just now," he said vaguely. He couldn't tell her that his dorm mates were asking pointed questions about where he went every month, and he was avoiding them.  
  
She nodded. Since he was silent, she pulled her History of Magic essay in front of her again and finished the last few inches from memory. Her mother had made her learn all this stuff years ago, and she didn't feel like looking it up again. She was pretty sure it was right.  
  
"So, why would you hex James and not me?" he asked finally. She waved her essay in the air to dry the ink, thinking up an answer.  
  
She leaned forward. "Well, Potter was foolish enough to throw a dung bomb at me just the week before the match, so I was already annoyed with him," she whispered. "And I'm going to get him back for it, too. I wouldn't walk with them in the hallways too often next term if I were you." She winked, and he looked relieved. "Where are the gits anyway?" she asked then.  
  
"They went to James' house for Christmas. Peter went home too."  
  
"So did Sev. Why don't you have lunch with me today? You'd be much better company that the giggling girls from my dorm."  
  
"Because I'm on Snape's list?" Lupin asked suddenly. He remembered hearing about it from one of the older Gryffindors. Severus had a list of people who were acceptable to befriend.  
  
Muriel was startled to find that he knew about that, and even more so that he had the guts to ask her. "No," she said quietly, never breaking a smile. "Because you don't giggle."  
  
Remus and Muriel sat alone at one end of the Ravenclaw table. She was pretty sure that the few Slytherins remaining were staring at them. But the worst of them were all gone. This year the Averys were having the Christmas party, and everyone important was there. She was immensely thankful not to be included.  
  
"I should warn you to be on your guard when everyone gets back," she said suddenly, reaching for a piece of pumpkin pie as it appeared in the center of the table.  
  
Remus raised an eyebrow and she continued. "The goons will probably tell Severus I ate with you, and he was upset enough after I let you and Black go without hexing you."  
  
He smiled. "If you're referring to the Slytherins as goons, then there's hope for you yet." They laughed, but then Remus became serious. "Aren't you a little young to have a boyfriend?"  
  
"I don't have a boyfriend, but it's sort of understood that Severus and I will get married one day. We don't talk about it, though. It just makes him angry." She shuddered, remembering his response the last time she'd asked, and the punishment she'd given him for it. Remus was looking at her incredulously.  
  
She was surprised that he didn't seem to understand. "You're from a pure blood family. Haven't they told you who they want you to marry? It's happened to everyone I know." Remus looked uncomfortably at the table. Marriage was a little bit more than any 11 year old boy was ready to discuss. He couldn't give her the real reason why his parents wouldn't dream of 'intending' him to someone.  
  
But as he thought of it, she caught the gist. His parents didn't discuss that because he was a werewolf, and any marriage arrangement they came to would require the bride's family to know. She decided to get him off the hook.  
  
"Well, you ARE a Gryffindor. Maybe your family doesn't set much stock by pure blood marriages." She smiled as he looked up, suddenly himself again.  
  
"No, they really don't," he said, wishing he'd thought of that excuse sooner. He'd have to remember that one. 


	5. Chapter 5 Payback

Chapter 5 ~ Payback  
  
When classes resumed for the next term, Remus did find himself dodging hexes in the hallways more often than usual, but not more often than Sirius and James. At least Muriel wasn't trying to get him. She almost never missed, and Sirius was starting to get annoyed.  
  
The Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Tantry, was at his wit's end. He had always looked forward to Gryffindor / Ravenclaw classes before this year. It was his own fault, he knew, since he'd insisted upon seating the students in alphabetical order. Black and Deesia. He should have known better. Since the very first day of classes neither of them had set down their wand for an instant. Even when all he asked them to do was READ, they still sat warily, using their wands as they read to underline the text, their wand tips pointed continuously at one another.  
  
Professor Tantry brought a boggart to class in early February, and they spent a double lesson period taking turns casting the Ridikulous curse on it. Muriel, who had read the section in the book before class, had learned that it was possible to cast the curse on humans as well, if you chose something harmless enough.  
  
When Sirius faced the boggart, and it turned into a werewolf, Muriel heard Remus gasp behind her. No wonder he didn't get along with his roommates. She quickly pictured her Aunt Rosa's floppy Italian hat, bushy eyebrows, and flowered, strapless sundress. When Sirius had finished with the boggart, she pointed her wand at him and whispered, "Ridikulous!"  
  
His wardrobe changed abruptly from the traditional black Hogwarts robes to a pink and orange flowered sundress and a huge straw hat. The entire class laughed so loudly that the boggart disappeared with a pop.  
  
Sirius, however, was not amused. His wand arm shook as he rounded on Muriel. "FIX THIS!" he bellowed. Muriel was laughing so hard she could hardly hold her wand. Professor Tantry intervened immediately, but there was no spell to change his clothes back, so he sent him scampering up to Gryffindor tower to change, after several amusing attempts to help him.  
  
"30 points from Ravenclaw, Deesia, and detention for a week." Professor Tantry was beside himself. "Beginning tonight at 8."  
  
"It was worth it," she whispered to Remus, still chuckling, as they filed out of class. She was grabbed by the arm in the doorway, however, by Marisa Ahles.  
  
"What do you mean, losing 30 points was worth it?!"  
  
As her dorm mates surrounded her, she started to look annoyed. "Oh come on, I earned you far more than 30 last term alone! Surely I'm allowed to burn a few for a joke that good!"  
  
In spite of herself, Marisa laughed a little. The other girls calmed a bit too. "Alright, it was pretty funny," she admitted. It was the first time Marisa had dared to talk to the girl, and she was glad that Muriel hadn't just called her a mud blood and stalked away. Maybe Muriel wasn't such a rotten Slytherin after all.  
  
Mur turned back to Remus, but kept her mind on Marisa. She'd made the mistake early on of calling Kyle, the 2nd year Ravenclaw who always got on her nerves, a filthy mud blood. Everyone in the common room had gotten very quiet and she'd learned quickly that using that term was bad form. Her mother said it in normal conversation, but she'd been too proud to explain. Maybe today would be a good time. She mentally set aside an hour tonight to talk with Marisa and apologize to Kyle.  
  
"So, who would have thought Black was afraid of werewolves?" she asked lightly. Remus looked up sharply as she continued. "I mean, it isn't like they're dangerous all the time, and all it takes is a little responsibility to make sure they aren't dangerous at all." He stayed silent. She knew better than to ask him what he was afraid of. Her stunt had kept him from having to face the boggart, which was probably for the best. Professor Tantry would have certainly learned his secret if a full moon had appeared before him.  
  
They walked toward the Great Hall, Remus looking at the floor. Muriel felt bad that Sirius' fear was affecting her only Gryffindor friend so strongly. She saw Lucius Malfoy, a 4th year, up ahead with Narcissa Black tagging along behind him, and had an idea. "You know, people overcome their fears on a pretty regular basis. The boggart probably would have turned into Malfoy for me, and look!"  
  
She raised her wand and whispered a spell to turn his beautiful blond hair purple. Then she pocketed her wand and walked right passed him with a straight face, pretending not to notice. When they got to her place at the table, and she was sure that Lucius didn't know it was her, she leaned over to whisper in Remus' ear. "And if a Ravenclaw can do it, certainly a Gryffindor can." She winked at him as he looked at her with wide eyes. She thought for sure he'd leave, and that she'd given the whole thing away, but to her surprise, he sat down beside her with a thump.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Well, you didn't get to face the boggart. Isn't that why you're so quiet, because you're scared?" She kept her voice even, not wanting to taunt him. Still, this was all she could think of to keep him from realizing that she knew.  
  
"I'm not SCARED!" he said suddenly. But the feeling she got from him wasn't indignation. It was relief. As he walked smartly away, she smiled to herself. Maybe he'd remember what she said and apply it to Black anyway.  
  
She jumped as Severus sat down heavily beside her. "What are you doing with that prat?" he asked sullenly. She laughed and told him the whole story of what she'd done to Black. It improved his mood greatly. "Well, you finally got back at him for the pumpkin head," he exclaimed, grinning.  
  
"Yeah, but it's not over," a cold voice said behind them. Sirius, dressed once again in his school robes and flanked by Potter and Pettigrew, stood rigidly behind Muriel. He laid a shaking hand on her shoulder. "Not by a long shot." 


	6. Chapter 6 Holiday Potion Gone Wrong

Chapter 6 ~ Holiday Potion Gone Wrong  
  
The Easter holiday came quickly. Muriel's mother was finally well again, so Mur and Severus packed their things and took the train home. He was as happy as Mur had ever seen him, since his father was going to be out of town for the entire holiday.  
  
"I'll be spending all my time over at your place to escape Mother," she joked weakly as the train pulled into Kings Cross. He shot her a pitying look and she made a face at him. He charmed both their trunks to follow them out onto the platform, and Muriel caught sight of her father immediately. He caught her in a hug as she ran toward him before shaking Severus' hand.  
  
"Didn't see any sense in all of us coming out here, so I came by myself to get you both," he said. "How do you like it so far?" he asked, unrolling a huge carpet and charming their trunks to stick to it.  
  
Muriel had sent him an owl almost every week, but she'd been careful to leave out some of the best stories. She and Severus exchanged a glance, but looked away quickly before either one could laugh. "It's great Papa! All Mother's friends have started being nice to me again, even if I'm not in their house."  
  
"Well, except Malfoy. He isn't nice to anyone," Severus added as the carpet sailed quickly up above the clouds. Mr. Deesia handed them each a bottle with a blue flame in it to warm their hands. The air was still cold this far from the ground.  
  
The trip seemed to take no time at all. Muriel told her father about how Severus was helping her in Potions class, and how Minchew let her borrow his Divination book so she could read up on that before she had to start the class herself. Her father nodded. Minchew's mother was rumored to be very good at such things.  
  
"So you're glad you didn't chose the school in Italy?" he asked as the carpet began to descend.  
  
Muriel looked back at Severus, who was looking away. He had stayed entirely out of that Deesia family debate. Her mother had wanted to send her to Durmstrang, and her father to the school he'd attended in Sicily, but she had begged to go wherever Severus went, and in the end her father had given in.  
  
"Well, Papa, the school was beautiful as you said, but I have friends at Hogwarts, and I think it's the place for me," she answered carefully. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. But he only smiled at her. He'd gone out of his way to raise a child who didn't just blindly follow other people's ideas, and he was coming to terms with the fact that her attitude included him, too. He was also very encouraged that she hadn't been placed in Slytherin.  
  
Mr. Deesia took Muriel's trunk upstairs for her and she and Severus carried his back to his house. The only place on their land where they could safely cast charms on holiday was in the forest behind the house, so they couldn't use magic to move the trunks.  
  
"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Severus asked as she dropped her end of the trunk at the foot of his bed.  
  
Muriel grimaced. "I'd better not. If I don't at least spend the first evening at home, Mother will be offended. He nodded knowingly and walked her back to the door. Mrs. Snape hugged her and invited her for the next day, which she agreed to gratefully.  
  
All in all, it was a restful holiday. Muriel finished all her assignments and began studying for the end of term tests. She was a fast reader and it didn't take her long to read through the books again.  
  
Severus sat on the floor of her room beside her cauldron for several hours, showing her how to make the potions she didn't understand, in case one of them came up on the test.  
  
"So, what do you think Black is going to do when we get back? You know he'll have thought up something by then."  
  
"You don't think cursing all my books to sing vulgar muggle songs when I opened them was enough for him? It got me detention!"  
  
Severus laughed, remembering. "The prat was awfully proud of that one. Maybe he'll give it a rest until you do something else to him." Severus had tried to stay out of Muriel's unspoken duel with Black, but it seemed like walking her to class was enough to get him hexed. Potter, on the other hand, he really enjoyed cursing.  
  
"I've been trying to come up with something good for Potter. He seems awfully fond of that new broom of his. Maybe a nice hurling hex would do. He isn't supposed to have a broom at school anyway." Severus smirked.  
  
"No, save that for next year. There'll be an opening on their team and he'll be sure to try out. Then you could embarrass him in front of more than just the marauders."  
  
"Who?" Severus asked.  
  
"Oh, the marauders. Remus told me that's what they're calling themselves now. I think that he's finally getting along with them again." She watched in amusement as Severus' face took on the look it always had at school. It was a mask, she knew, and there was nothing funnier to her than Severus Snape trying to look forbidding. Except maybe Sirius Black dressed like her aunt.  
  
"What are you still talking to him for? He's a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake!" His voice sounded sour, but she only smiled.  
  
"Yes, and historically there's nothing against Ravenclaws and Gryffindors being friends."  
  
"I thought you were a Slytherin staying in the Ravenclaw dormitory?" Severus asked hotly. Then, "Don't add that yet!" he exclaimed, but it was too late.  
  
Muriel had put half a jar of lacewings into the cauldron between them, and the whole thing exploded spectacularly. Severus picked himself up from the floor - he'd been thrown the length of the room.  
  
"PAPA!" he hollered, running to Mur. She'd had her back to the wall, and the potion that had only splattered him was caked all over her. She had a huge gash on her face, from a shattered piece of the cauldron, and it looked like some of the potion had gotten into the cut. Severus didn't know what this potion would do if it got in the bloodstream.  
  
"PAPA HURRY!" he shouted again as he heard footsteps on the stairs. He shook her, but she didn't wake up.  
  
Muriel's father picked her up gently and took her downstairs to the living room couch, calling for a house elf to bring some towels.  
  
"What kind of potion was it, Sev?" he asked quietly, wiping it from Muriel's face.  
  
"Just a sore muscle potion for rubbing on the skin. I don't think you're supposed to drink it and I'm afraid she got it in that cut."  
  
"What were the ingredients?" Mr. Deesia asked solemnly.  
  
Severus rattled them off from memory, along with the amounts. "But I know she put in too many lacewings, and she added them before the crushed dandelion seeds." He was worried now.  
  
"Severus, go home and tell your mother what happened. I'm taking her to St. Mungo's. You can follow if you wish." Without another word, he lifted his daughter again and apparated to the hospital, careful to keep a towel full of potion with him. 


	7. Chapter 7 End of Year Exams

Chapter 7 ~ End of Year Exams  
  
It was a week after classes resumed before Muriel made it back. Severus had flooed secretly each night to St. Mungo's to take her their assignments, and she'd owled them back to the professors.  
  
It turned out that the added lacewings, without the dandelion seeds to soften them, had turned the potion into a slow acting poison that affected the muscles, and had to be countered just as slowly. "Like time-release aspirin," Marisa had said when Muriel explained it. Mur had only nodded. She didn't know what aspirin was and it didn't matter. Some muggle remedy, she supposed.  
  
She and Marisa were getting along pretty well now, since Mur had apologized to Kyle and explained her mother's prejudices to the rest of her house. Even the other girls in the dormitory were speaking to her guardedly once in a while.  
  
When end of term tests came around, she was still feeling pretty weak. She'd been charming her books to follow her to class, because it tired her so much to carry them. Filch had given her detention for it once, since that was technically using magic in the hallways, but Professor Warrington had spoken with him, and now she was allowed.  
  
She was on her way back from the library late the night before her Defense Against The Dark Arts test when her books suddenly thudded heavily to the ground behind her. She looked around, but no one was in the corridor. She was alone.  
  
No sooner had she charmed them back into the air and turned than they fell again, this time bouncing forcefully off the wall. She turned again, her lips pressed into a thin line.  
  
She charmed the books a third time, walking a bit faster ahead of them. Suddenly, instead of falling to the ground, they came out of the string she'd bound around them and pelted her in the back of the head, one after another. She ran, but she was still weak, and stumbled on the steps. She covered her head with her hands as the last of the books came tumbling out of the air to land on her head.  
  
Muriel was starting to get very annoyed. Panting, she summoned her books and grasped them tightly. With so many, it was hard to make it back to Ravenclaw tower, and it seemed to take forever. She'd just managed to reach the top of the stairs, and the portrait hole was in sight when one of her legs gave out. With a cry, she dropped her books and tumbled backwards.  
  
She only fell a few stairs, however, before something stopped her. It felt like hands had caught her, and she felt an arm around her back and a hand on each of her elbows, helping her up remaining stairs. It was obviously the same person who had enchanted her books to attack her, and she couldn't quite determine who it might be. Severus would have pulled a prank like that, but not when he knew she was ill.  
  
Could it have been Black? But then why had he followed her back and caught her on the stairs? She gathered her books slowly, thinking hard. When she finally had them all, she turned back to the stairs. She tried to listen for thoughts, but heard only a confused jumble. She couldn't make any sense of it.  
  
"Thank you," she said into the silence. Then she turned and went up to her room.  
  
Sirius, still covered by Potter's invisibility cloak, turned when he heard her speak. He felt bad now that he realized that she really WAS too weak to carry her books. He'd thought that she was just taking advantage of the situation to do something no one else was allowed to do. When she'd fallen on the stairs, he'd decided that he had better follow her just in case, and he was glad he did. If she had fallen all the way back down that staircase, he'd have been in a lot of trouble. He hoped she wouldn't figure out who had done it.  
  
He sat beside her as they took their Defense Against The Dark Arts exam the next morning. She looked awfully pale and he felt another wave of guilt, but thrust it away as quickly as it had come. Instead, he concentrated on his test. He knew a lot about the Dark Arts thanks to his mother, but it was hard to keep straight which of the things she'd taught him were considered defensive, and which were considered offensive. He wondered if Deesia was having the same trouble. She'd grown up in a house a lot like his, he was sure, with a Karkaroff for a mother. His mother was a Malfoy, Lucius' 3rd cousin, so he knew what it was like.  
  
He looked up as Muriel finished the last question and lay down her quill. She flipped the paper over. Sirius was shocked as she looked him in the eye, put her wand away and then laid her head down on the desk and closed her eyes.  
  
He turned back to the last question, jotted down an answer, and followed her example, though he didn't put his wand away. He knew how fast she could draw that thing.  
  
A few short minutes later, they both raised their heads as their papers whizzed toward Professor Tantry's desk. Muriel made no move to get up as the rest of the class put away their quills and filed out.  
  
Sirius jammed his into his bag, along with his ink, then turned to face her. She smirked at him a bit.  
  
"Where's Remus?" she asked, knowing that last night was the full moon. She still wasn't sure if it was him. She'd felt a flash of guilt from him during the test, but maybe he'd just seen one of her answers by accident.  
  
"He's in the hospital ward." Sirius answered shortly. He didn't know why his dorm mate was so sick all the time, and visiting only made him uncomfortable. He was usually wrapped up in bandages. They had all just stopped going to see him. Now, when he came back, they acted like he hadn't been gone at all. It saved him having to make up excuses, and it kept them all friends, which was becoming very important to Sirius.  
  
"Maybe I'll go up and see him. I'm not feeling so great myself," she said with a wry grin. If she hoped to make him give up his secret that way, she was disappointed, however, because he seemed to feel no emotion about her illness at all. It hadn't been his fault.  
  
Sirius, for his part, was sorely tempted to offer to help her carry her books to make up for what he'd done, but knew that would give him away. Instead he shrugged. "What happened over holiday anyway?"  
  
"I blew up my best cauldron and poisoned myself," she said, as if it happened every day. As she spoke, she wrapped her books with twine again and enchanted them to follow her. She was feeling rather ill, and thought maybe another dose of the counter potion was due. She couldn't remember if she'd taken any before the exam.  
  
Sirius laughed. "Well, since your sick, I guess I won't hex you as you come out the door today." He had tried to hex her after Defense Against The Dark Arts every class period all year long. Once he had managed to hit Remus instead, but it was a spell that gave you elephant ears, and partial transformation spells didn't work well on werewolves. Everyone had just assumed that he had hit the wall behind them, but Muriel knew better. She'd been careful not to meet Remus' eyes as she'd shouted "HA, you missed," and chased Sirius down the hallway.  
  
She made her way up to the hospital wing carefully. Severus caught up with her halfway there and took her elbow. "You shouldn't be on the stairs yet by yourself," he scolded. She grinned up at him. He'd grown at least 3 inches in the last year, and was finally taller than her.  
  
"Thanks, Sev. I'm headed to he hospital wing. I think I could use some more potion." They ran into Remus as he exited the ward, smiling, but still with a wrist wrapped in gauze.  
  
"Alright Mur?" he asked. She nodded, winded from climbing the stairs.  
  
"You?"  
  
Remus ignored the look Severus was giving him. "Sprained my wrist," he said. He looked away quickly when she raised an eyebrow at him. Madam Pomfrey could mend sprains instantly. There was no reason why he would still be bandaged if that were all that was wrong.  
  
"Fall off Potter's broom Lupin?" Severus asked scathingly. Muriel, knowing how fast Severus could make any situation ugly, let her knees bend a bit, and leaned hard on her best friend.  
  
"Sev, enough, let's go." His attention snapped back to her and he brushed roughly passed Remus, who chuckled softly to himself and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. He'd been allowed to take his exam early, so he wouldn't have to make it up.  
  
Remus entered the Gryffindor common room and was about to head up to the dormitory to get his books for the next test when he heard whispering in the corner, and looked over to see James, Sirius and Peter. He started when he realized they were looking at a lunar chart.  
  
"So, if it's true, then he'll be sick the second week in September and the third week in October?" Peter was whispering just a little too loudly.  
  
"That's got to be it," James answered. "Look, he's been sick on the full moon every month all year."  
  
Remus felt his stomach clench. He watched a moment longer to see if Sirius would say anything, then turned and made his way silently back out of the portrait hole toward the library.  
  
'They know!' he thought vehemently to himself, trying his best not to stomp in the deserted hallways. Most of the students, freed from exams until tomorrow, were out on the grounds. He felt almost sick with anger and worry. He'd finally been able to make some friends and now it was all over. They would figure it out and tell someone and he'd never be allowed to come back next year.  
  
He thought about marching right back up there and confronting them about it, but decided against it. If Sirius was still deathly afraid of werewolves, then the last thing he should do is be aggressive.  
  
He was surprised when he looked up from the book he'd been staring blankly at to see Muriel pushing open the door to the library. She looked awful.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked, jumping up and helping her to the nearest table.  
  
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I sneaked out of the Hospital wing while Severus was talking with Madam Pomfrey. Honestly, you'd think I was dying or something the way he fusses." She smiled.  
  
"What I want to know is, are YOU okay? What are you doing by yourself in the library when today's exams are over, and everyone else is outside?" She was holding her chin in her hands, and obviously exhausted, but Remus suddenly felt like a powerful force was playing with him. How had she known that he'd be in the library?  
  
"Er, I'm fine. Just didn't want to be around the others right now," he said. Muriel could tell that something had happened to really upset him.  
  
"Were they mean to you?" she asked. What she really wanted to know was if they'd confronted him about his monthly transformations.  
  
"No, nothing like that. They just found out something that is - er - rather personal about me, and I'm worried that they aren't going to take it very well." It was more than he'd meant to say, and Remus chided himself for giving away too much.  
  
"But you haven't talked to them about it yet?' Muriel was starting to feel a little dizzy. She'd left the hospital ward before Madam Pomfrey had finished the potion, and thought maybe she ought to get back.  
  
Remus didn't seem to notice. His eyes seemed glued to the table. "No. I guess I'm too afraid of what they'll say." He was grateful that she didn't probe him about what they'd found out.  
  
Muriel knew she'd better say what she'd come to say and soon. She was having trouble focusing on the boy before her. "Remus, those boys will like you no matter what. Especially Black." She forced a laugh that made him look up. "You could probably tell him you were a werewolf or something and he'd still be your friend!"  
  
She felt Remus' alarm at this declaration, but swooned a bit and decided she didn't have time to say any more. "Remus, I think I'd better get back to Madam Pomfrey," she whispered. 


	8. Chapter 8 Going Home

Chapter 8 ~ Going Home  
  
Remus was halfway down the train when he finally found Muriel. Severus looked up as he stuck his head into their cabin. "How is she?" Remus asked immediately. Muriel was lying down on the bench, fast asleep.  
  
"Fine, no thanks to you. Why didn't you bring her back up when you found her? What in Merlin's name could have been so important that you didn't notice she was ill?" Severus hissed, coming to the door.  
  
Remus stepped back. He'd seen Snape angry a few times when James had hexed him, but he'd never seen anything like the snarl on the boy's face now.  
  
"Look, Severus, I didn't know she was still sick. She seemed tired, but.."  
  
"Severus, what is it?" Muriel asked sleepily, sitting up. "Oh, hey Remus. How are things?"  
  
Severus narrowed his eyes, but then turned away from Remus and sat down hard. Remus swallowed, and Muriel's face took on an amused expression. Apparently Severus was intimidating even at 11. She thought that was very funny.  
  
"Things are good, better, I mean," Remus said, coming back to the door. "You were right." He didn't quite know what else to say. He looked back at Severus briefly. "Er.sorry I didn't get you back to the Hospital wing right away," he added.  
  
"It wasn't your fault. If I had remembered my potion that morning, it would never have happened. I was just distracted thinking about - " Muriel wondered suddenly if Remus knew anything about the flying books. She hadn't wanted to tell Severus about it, but -  
  
"What?" Severus asked, picking up on her confusion.  
  
She told them what had happened. Severus was furious long before she finished, and just as she mentioned gathering her books to begin running up the stairs, he cut her off.  
  
"It was Black, I know it!" They both looked at Remus, who looked quickly to the floor. He'd heard Sirius asking James to borrow the cloak, but thought his friend had better sense than to pick on someone who was already sick. He'd have to talk to him.  
  
As Mur looked at Remus, she caught his thoughts and her eyes widened. It HAD been Black. Severus was already standing and drawing his wand. Remus looked guilty enough to convince him.  
  
"SIT DOWN, SEV!" Muriel snapped. "It couldn't have been Black." She noticed that Remus didn't meet her eyes. She would get back at Sirius later, but she didn't want Sev punishing him when he'd been nice enough to follow her and make sure she didn't fall, even if his prank had been in bad taste. Severus' punishment would probably be far worse than hers.  
  
"Oh? And why not?" Severus asked scathingly. Muriel saw Remus cast a glance into the corridor. She was suddenly sure that Sirius was standing outside the door.  
  
"Because," she explained as Severus resumed his seat, his eyes still on Remus. "Whoever it was realized when I fell that I wasn't well, and they followed me back to the common room to make sure I didn't fall down the stairs. It's a good thing, too, since my legs gave out before I made it to the landing. I would have taken a nasty tumble if the person hadn't caught me." She looked hard at Severus, then raised her voice a bit. "Do you really think that Black would have been kind enough to think of something like that?"  
  
Remus cringed, but Severus only nodded. "You're right. He's a prat. He'd have probably been happy to watch you fall. Who do you think it was, then?"  
  
"Oh, you know me, Sev. I'll be sure to find out first thing next year." She kept her voice light. Severus seemed satisfied. Remus was looking back into the corridor again.  
  
"Remus, you tell Black that when he thinks of something to get back at me for the boggart prank, I'll be ready for him." Muriel wanted to give Remus an easy way out.  
  
"Sure Mur," Remus said distractedly. "Have a good summer." He nodded to Severus and left in haste.  
  
FIN  
  
A/N: Severus and Muriel's second year at Hogwarts is already written, and will be posted shortly! I hope you'll stop back and check it out! 


End file.
